-Presumption of innocence-
Chapter 1. The New Wizard King
The soft tinkling of fingertips against the surface of a railing was the only thing that could be heard in the gloom of the night, besides some misplaced animals that were probably migrating due to the change of season.
The sun was going to rise soon, although the sky was still dark, and the full moon crowned it, as if it wanted to protect it with its light. The stars shone brightly, as they always did, away from the crowd and artificial light of the big city.
The breeze blew slowly, cautiously moving the treetops and their leaves, and causing some to break off until they fell to the ground carelessly.
Asta looked up at the starry night sky. This would probably be the last time he could observe it so directly and brilliantly for a long time and, although he had been dreaming of this moment for years, the feeling that weighed most heavily on his heart was that of nostalgia.
Finally, after more than a decade of trying to climb to the position of Wizard King of the Clover Kingdom, he had succeeded. In a few hours, his coronation would take place and his life would change completely; much more than when he received his strange grimoire and joined the Black Bulls at just fifteen years old.
He thought that when he received the news that he had finally made it, he would be much happier. And indeed he was, but it also gave him a feeling of great sadness to think that he had to leave the home that had seen him grow for so long forever.
At least, he knew that his fellow squad mates —his family, in short— would always continue to support him and that Noelle and their children would be with him. His purpose was to change the society of the kingdom, which prospered by accepting each and every one of its inhabitants, but he did not intend to neglect either his wife or Aren and Ayla, who were still very young.
The Black Bulls Hideout had changed a lot over the years, as several children had been born and needed to have more space. It wasn't a problem really, because they were only expanding and remodeling it when necessary.
The past was seen as a sheltering and comforting place, because youth gives one a kind of courage, security and confidence that is eventually lost over the years. Asta was barely thirty years old and still a noisy dwarf according to his Captain, although his character had somewhat calmed, his essence was still intact in a way.
Now that he got a bird's-eye view of the past, he realized that he would never have achieved any of his goals without two people who were fundamental in his life: Yami Sukehiro, who was the only Captain who decided to accept him in his squad, and Noelle Silva, who had always encouraged him, directly or indirectly to constantly improve and grow, as a Magic Knight and as a person.
He could still clearly see the memory of Noelle's trembling lips confessing to him about how in love she was with him. At that time, they were both twenty years old, but it felt like a confession a teenager would, due to both their nervousness and restlessness.
Asta, hearing those words, was utterly bewildered. He didn't understand how it was possible that Noelle, his partner, his best friend, the rookie who joined the squad the same year as him, the person he trusted the most, loved him. Her attitude had never revealed it to him, according to his poor perception, of course, so his surprise was huge at first.
He asked her for some time to think before her gaze grew disappointed. And seeing her like this, with her pinkish eyes shining with helplessness, was a very hard moment for him to process. But Noelle was able to hide it well, so she simply smiled and nodded, then walked away, leaving a heavy, suffocating sensation in his throat that he didn't like at all.
The next two months were full of doubts. Because Asta was still trying to figure out how someone like Noelle Silva, who was so sophisticated, beautiful and intelligent, had noticed him, someone who was considered a fairly simple person by comparison.
He focused a lot on her feelings, because he wanted to respect and appreciate them. Besides, it had only been a couple of years since Sister Lily had rejected him. Back then he had gone through a pretty bad time and took a lot of comfort in his friends and squadmates, especially in Noelle, with whom he spent more time and shared more moments with, thus strengthening a strong bond that he could not understand at first. He had dug deeper and deeper into his emotions until he finally found the answer. He genuinely felt the same way as Noelle, but he hadn't been able to interpret it properly until now.
However, the night he decided to formally reciprocate her feelings, she had approached him, telling him that she didn't understand why he hadn't given her his answer yet if he knew perfectly well that he was going to reject her.
The wait had overwhelmed her, so he knew well that the hurt and uncertainty she was feeling had begun speaking for her. Asta didn't answer with words at first, but instead answered with action, so he kissed her awkwardly and without warning, because his feelings were so great that they couldn't be contained or articulated into a mediocre and bland speech.
Since then, they have been together. They had gotten married five years ago and had twin children: Aren and Ayla.
In all those years, Noelle had been by his side. She had been his support, endured his darkest days and became the best mother and wife that ever lived. He would never have been able to thank her enough for all she had done, so he would simply resign himself to giving her every piece of him until the end of his days.
The sun finally began to rise, giving way to the new day. Asta heard footsteps behind him and stopped moving his fingers against the railing of the balcony of his room. He felt a hug and a soft kiss on his shoulder, but he didn't turn around.
"I wonder, should I say good morning to you?"
"Why do you say that?" He asked with some feigned confusion.
"Because I know perfectly well that you haven't slept all night."
Asta sighed. He didn't mean to deceive her, but he didn't want to worry her either. He knew well that Noelle would decipher everything that happened to him, so there was no point in inventing absurd excuses, because she was also the one who understood him best and who was always there to calm him down with the right words or gestures.
"Are you nervous?" She asked before Asta could answer.
"It's not that. It's just... I'll really miss living here with everyone and having this tranquility. I always wanted our children to grow up in this kind of environment, with others, happily. I don't know if it's right to force you all to move to the Capital with me."
Noelle frowned, held her husband's chin, and turned his face to make him look at her.
"Do you really think you can force me to do anything? I'm doing this because I want to, Asta. And I know it's hard leaving the place we've lived in for so long, but it's not like we're never coming back. Aren and Ayla will come back here often and so will we, because we owe everything we are to this squad. We're going to be happy because the four of us are together, aren't we?"
Asta nodded excitedly, and then kissed Noelle, surprising her a little by the sudden gesture.
"Thank you so much, Noelle," He whispered in her ear as he hugged her.
"You have nothing to thank me for. We should start getting ready. It wouldn't be right for the Wizard King to be late on the day of his own coronation, would it?"
At Noelle's words, he nodded again, gave her a brief kiss on the lips, and walked into their room.
Today was going to be a bit complex, but he was sure it would also be one of the best days of his life. And not only because he finally saw his dream fulfilled, but because Noelle, his children and all the Black Bulls were going to be there to see him and support him.
At the end of the day, that was what really mattered to him.
Charlotte cautiously climbed the steps until she reached the roof of the base. She had never liked this place, but she was looking for someone and knew that he was there, probably practicing a rather unhealthy activity that she detested, but today she would let it pass.
When she reached the rooftop, she saw him sitting there, looking up at the dawn and smoking leisurely. She walked over quietly and sat next to him. She rested her hand on his leg and stroked it faintly.
Yami then looked at her as he held the cigarette between his lips. He realized he had it there when he could see a grimace of displeasure forming on Charlotte's face. He expelled the smoke away from her face so as not to disturb her, extinguished the cigarette by placing it on the surface of the roof and then moved it away along with the ashes, reminding himself internally that he had to take it with him when he left.
He moved a little closer and kissed her briefly, while moving his hand to caress her cheek and chin.
"You taste like tobacco," Charlotte told him when they parted, but she didn't seem angry. He smiled at her truthfully, causing him to tear from his mind the thousands of thoughts he had for a brief moment.
"I'm sorry. I needed it."
"I know," she whispered, then leaned her forehead against his cheek. Yami hugged her shoulders and they shared a short, but necessary silence.
She straightened slightly and looked at him. Yami had changed a bit over the years. His hair was somewhat shorter, but there was no trace of gray hair yet. His face was now more serene, his attitude became more relaxed and his facet of an overprotective father was truly impressive.
As a life partner, she couldn't ask for someone better. Charlotte was aware of his shortcomings, but she had accepted them, considered them and loved them, because she knew that she had them too and that he used to give in much more often. That is, after all, a relationship; accept, and understand the other without trying to change their background. Because yes, human beings change, we learn from our mistakes, we improve some layers of our personality that we don't like... But there is an immovable part of us that cannot be transformed even if you want it to be.
Yami was a man of few words. At the beginning of their relationship, Charlotte hated that side of him, because whenever they got angry, he would give up, not knowing how to answer, and he would just leave. It made her think he was ignoring her, but with time and coexistence, she understood that he simply couldn't act otherwise, so she was prone to giving him space when they fought. In this way, they managed to understand each other better.
In addition, she had reached a point where she knew how to interpret his silences and it was she who managed them so their situation improved greatly.
"It's going to be very weird, isn't it?"
"What is?"
"Not seeing Asta and Noelle around here every day," Charlotte pointed out firmly.
Yami just nodded and squeezed her a little. Charlotte didn't need him to tell her what was wrong, because she knew him so well that she understood it perfectly.
"If Asta is going to be crowned as Wizard King in a few hours, it's all thanks to you. You know that, right?"
"Of course it isn't. I'm not that important. Besides, he's earned it with his own effort and hard work," Yami reasoned after looking at her and frowning a little.
"Yes, he did it with his own effort, we can't deny that. But you were the person who accepted him into the Squad. Neither I nor anyone else did. You should be proud... and not only of him. Not everyone gets to forge the Clover Kingdom's Wizard King."
Yami smiled quietly, but did not answer the immensity of her words, because he did not truly believe them to be true. It had only been a few months since it was announced that Asta would be the next Wizard King, but he was thinking since then that the base without him —and, consequently, without Noelle too— would never be the same. And while he would never admit it out loud, he was going to feel a little lonely not seeing Asta there every day or hearing his screams, which so often gave him a headache in the past.
However, that was the young kid's dream. And he really felt incredibly proud that a commoner without magic had become, nothing more and nothing less, than the Wizard King. It was a beautiful paradox that broke down any and all barriers, because if in a world where magic was absolutely everything, that boy had managed to be the most powerful, anything was possible.
"Finral brought you a suit."
"You know I'm not going to put that shit on," Yami snapped reluctantly.
Charlotte laughed. She knew perfectly well that this would be his reaction and his response as soon as she saw the space wizard with the suit in his hands.
"Hikari doesn't want to wear a dress either. She didn't tell me in those exact words, because I'm her mother, but I'm sure that's exactly what she was thinking. Everyday she looks more and more like you."
"But she's just like you."
"Maybe on the outside, but not on the inside."
Yami smiled. It was true. Hikari not only resembled him in personality, but she was also the one he got along with best out of his three children. Hana was very close to her mother because of their similar personalities and Einar was mostly the same, but for different reasons. But Yami had no preferences at all —in the end, all three were his children and he loved them equally—; simply, he and Hikari just got along better. The good thing about the girl was that all the most serious defects he had, she had not inherited... or at least almost all of them.
"Hey, how did Finral look?"
"Better, although he's still not the same as before."
"It'll pass."
"Haven't you thought about talking to him?"
"Nope. My wife hasn't left me, so I have nothing to say. And, you know I'm not good at serious conversations."
"Don't talk so loud…"
"Are you threatening me?" Yami asked as he smiled sideways, playing along.
"Take it however you want."
Charlotte got up carefully, dusted off her clothes and left, but not before telling Yami to come down soon because they had to get ready and she didn't want them to be late.
He smoked another cigarette while feeling the sun on his face. Despite the strange feeling that was placed in his heart by the event that would happen on this historic day, he was also happy.
He didn't know if, as Charlotte had told him, he had forged a Wizard King, but what was certain was that one of his idiots —his children— had climbed to the top, and that made him feel completely at peace.
Noelle looked to her right for a brief moment and saw her brother with Ayla in his arms. The girl was moving insistently, calling her father, although she wasn't even seeing him directly yet. While she was holding Aren, who was much calmer, looked ahead, waiting for Asta to come out.
She was a little nervous, but she didn't tell anyone. Her role was to remain calm, but she couldn't stop the nerves from appearing from time to time, her leg moved unconsciously for a few seconds, because, as soon as she noticed it, she stopped.
Nozel looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He didn't know whether to say something to reassure her or not, because his words may only make her more uneasy.
"I want to see Daddy," the little girl reproached her uncle as she pouted impatiently.
"Ayla, your father is going to come out right away. Have a little patience."
Noelle watched the scene and smiled, calming down a little. Today, she had decided to change her hairstyle. She gave herself a single ponytail, just as her mother used to do. She caught the look of surprise that her older brother expressed when he saw her. He appeared to be seeing his mother in Noelle and she did not know it, but that fact made him very proud.
Their relationship had long since been restored. And Nozel was fully aware that he could never erase the deep scars on Noelle's soul that had appeared due to his treatment of her, but he swore to himself that he would start doing things right; Not only with her, but also with her husband and children.
So when he found out his little sister was pregnant, he vowed to take care of them and protect them forever, even with his life if necessary.
Strangely, the girl, who was the most similar to Asta, had a fixation with him that surprised him greatly, since all the characteristics of the Silvas had been inherited by Aren. He got along quite well with both, but the little boy spent much of his time with his mother, due to his innate shyness.
After waiting a few more minutes, Asta walked out to the altar of the throne room. He looked at him with some bewilderment, moving his eyes around, and when he could see his family, he breathed a sigh of relief. He greeted them with a simple wave of his hand as he listened to Ayla telling her uncle that she could finally see her dad.
The ceremony began. Fuegoleon, then Wizard King, gave a speech on the greatness of the Clover Kingdom and its history, and on the importance of protecting future generations to build a more prosperous and strong home.
When he finished, he walked towards Asta, who immediately stood in front of him. The coronation ritual took place and, once he was proclaimed Wizard King definitively, the first person he looked at was Noelle, who smiled at him with bright eyes, excited to witness this important and great moment.
"The new Wizard King will now say a few words."
Asta rasped slightly. Not being comfortable looking at the people from above, he came down from the altar to the incessant murmurs of the nobles, who kept wondering what he was doing.
"It's... A bit difficult to summarize everything this day means to me, but I'm going to try. Fifteen years ago, when I entered the Black Bulls, I already wanted to reach this position firmly in my mind. I've never been a very ambitious person in terms of money or status, but becoming the Wizard King was my once-in-a-lifetime goal. Over time, many more goals appeared on my path, but I've always kept in mind that I wanted this day to come. The only impediment I've had is that I don't have magic. Not a shred. And being a Wizard King without magic... Well, it's somewhat contradictory, isn't it?" Asta heard some laughter scattered around the room, smiled and continued.
"I especially want to thank Captain Yami Sukehiro for giving me the opportunity that everyone denied me, my Black Bulls squadmates, without whom I would never have grown up. My wife, Noelle Silva, and my children, without whom, ultimately, I am nothing. My being here today means that anyone, with effort and perseverance, can achieve what they set out to do. There are no impossibilities and today is a clear example of that. I want us all to build a society in which we can all fit in, one in which no one feels excluded because of their condition, like what happened to me on many occasions; so many in fact, that I can hardly count them or remember them all. So I entrust myself to all of you. Together, we will achieve great things for the Clover Kingdom; I have no doubt about that!"
The applause that was heard in the room when the speech ended was thunderous. The nobles weren't enthusiastic at the words of the new Wizard King, but among the guests were many commoners, who finally saw themselves as part of a whole and not just a small, unprotected branch that no one cared about.
Asta went to where Noelle stood. He gave his children a kiss on the forehead and his wife a brief kiss on her lips.
"Congratulations, Dad," Aren whispered slowly.
"My daddy is the strongest in the world!" Ayla exclaimed, with much more intensity than her brother.
"Thank you. And thank you, Noelle. Without you, I wouldn't have made it here."
Noelle smiled and, just after, she heard her brother clear his throat, in a gesture of dissatisfaction because it seemed that the family had forgotten he was still there.
"Congratulations, Asta."
"Thank you, brother-in-law!"
The man rolled his eyes wearily and Ayla almost jumped into the arms of her father, who welcomed her happily and hugged her instantly.
"Do you think we could go to the base for a moment? I forgot something."
"Sure, sure. Do you want to leave the kids with your brother?"
"No, they can come with us. See you later, brother," She said, this time addressing Nozel, who simply sent them away nodding his head.
They went with the other members of the Black Bulls to the base through a portal that Finral created. Asta was a little surprised to see that they were at the door and not inside the building, but he understood the situation immediately as soon as Yami opened it and he saw the room decorated with a huge banner that said "You finally got it, Asta! Congratulations!"
He, excited, thanked all his friends. Until the end of today, at least, he would still be considered as one of them, as one of those people for whom no one bet on, and who were now considered as the pillar of protection for the Clover Kingdom.
Their parties always had a family atmosphere, it was relaxed and pleasant, but also nostalgic. None of those present mentioned the fact that they would soon no longer be together; They had simply decided to be who they always were for today and afterwards they would take care of all their obligations.
"Hikari, in less than three years you get your grimoire, don't you?" Asta asked the girl, who was only twelve years old at the time.
"Yes!" She replied with emotion.
Hikari was the oldest of all the kids. She was practically like an older sister to the others who had been born over the years, and was very special to Asta, who happened to be her godfather.
When he found out his Captain was having a baby, he almost didn't believe it. It didn't seem to him, but then Asta realized the importance he had had in his life, as his main father figure, and was immediately convinced that he would do well.
She was the one who had a character more similar to her father, although she wasn't as rude, since she had also inherited some characteristics of her mother's personality; Hikari was a perfect mix of the two.
"Do you want to be a Magic Knight?"
"I do very much. I'm going to join the Black Bulls."
"That'll only happen if I accept you, right?" Yami added with a bit of a sneer to make her angry.
"Papa...!"
Yami laughed loudly and ruffled his daughter's hair while she continued to complain, while also smiling. He stared at her for a moment. She was growing up very fast. The very thought that he might soon be able to take her out on dangerous missions scared him greatly, but he had no choice but to accept it. He wouldn't be the one to clip her wings or try to impose a philosophy of prohibition on her.
As they continued to talk, Grey and Gauche, along with Gael, caught his attention. They were told they had news to share with them and everyone at the Hideout was quiet, except for Ayla, who could be heard occasionally laughing and whispering with the other children.
"Gauche-kun and I... We're going to have another baby. I'm pregnant," Grey announced with a shy smile adorning her lips and everyone quickly moved to congratulate the family.
Hana approached Gael. The two got along very well since they were quite like-minded in terms of tastes and even some parts of their personalities, so they spent a lot of time together. She saw him smiling, something that was quite unusual for him, for he generally had a serious character, despite his young age.
"Are you happy?" The girl asked.
"Yeah," he whispered with some embarrassment.
"Having a little brother or sister is great. You can play a lot together, just like me with Einar."
Yami, in the distance, observed his daughter talking to Gauche's son. He was glad to see him happy. The one who didn't seem too happy about the news was his father, who had a serious gaze since they had arrived back at the base. He would take it upon himself to talk to him about it tomorrow.
It was true that Grey was close to forty and that age could carry a little more risk for mothers, but Charlotte had Einar at that age and everything had gone well. He knew the circumstances of her first birth, but equally did not believe that there was justification for such an unfriendly attitude to news that should bring them joy.
Pushing the matter aside for now, Yami decided to focus on enjoying the party, which lasted until the evening.
When Noelle and Asta left, he took it upon himself to give his pupil a comforting handshake since no words were needed to express how proud he was. He knew well that Asta knew him and understood that there was no need for grand, eloquent, and endless speeches to convey to him what he had always thought: that Asta fully deserved this life, this family, and to have gotten all his achievements.
Once the others went to bed, he went to Hikari, Hana and Einar's rooms to say goodnight before finally going to his room, the one he had shared for so many years with Charlotte.
Upon entering, he saw her near her dressing table, already changed and taking off some small flower-shaped earrings that he had been given to her on her last birthday.
He quickly changed and laid on the bed. He was very tired. Today had been full of very strong emotions and had started so early, now he just wanted to disconnect for a while.
Charlotte turned to look at him and smiled at him.
"Are the children asleep?"
"Yeah. They were exhausted."
"Good. It's been quite an intense day, so it's normal that they would be tired."
Yami just nodded and stared at her again. She was wearing a short light blue nightgown with thin straps tonight. Time seemed to have hardly passed for her, because he still thought she was as beautiful as when he first met her, when they were just two teens that had joined their respective squads.
He had long since come to the conclusion that he was very lucky. He didn't understand how, but Charlotte had fallen in love with him by an eccentric twist of fate and he reminded himself daily that he couldn't lose her, because if he did then he would never find someone who could make him better or who could ever compare to her.
He gestured with the index finger on his right hand for her to come closer and she did so without hesitation after smiling playfully at him. She sat on his legs and rubbed his arms slowly, while feeling his hands sneak underneath the fabric of her nightgown to touch her thighs.
"Do you remember the first time we did it? You were so nervous that your hands were even shaking," she whispered, before she stroked his lower lip with her thumb.
Yami nodded as he secured the grip on her skin and smiled at her.
It was true; That night, their first together, he was so nervous and out of place that he still did not understand how he had managed to do it moderately well. Although she wasn't much better, he didn't dare mention it to her at the time.
He remembered that moment perfectly; His trembling hands touched and caressed the entire surface of her body, her half-open lips as she moaned quietly and, above all, her blue and intense eyes, stared into his dark gaze incessantly, as if she wanted to be engraved on his retinas forever in that instant.
Charlotte kissed him on the lips after placing her hands on his neck while continuing to feel his touches and caresses, which moved more and more throughout all the corners of her body.
Today had been really chaotic and exhausting, but Yami couldn't think of a better way to end it.
A/N:
Hi guys! Here's chapter 1. I forgot to tell you that chapters 1 and 2 are flashbacks, so the plot itself will start in chapter 3. But we have to know a bit of the past to understand better the present of the story.
In the other chapters there will be flashbacks too, but they'll be written in italics so it's not confusing.
In this story Einar calls Hikari 'tata', which basically means 'big sis' in Spanish. Lyra decided not to change it.
And that's all for today. Thanks for reading. :)